Jeeps and Hummers in Antiquity?
Crossover Vehicles and Conspicuous Consumption
Elizabeth Tylawsky, Norwich Free Academy, CT
From Accident-Prone to Everyday Use
In the next few years the raeda seems to have been adopted quickly into regular civilian life. For example, after his wasted and humiliating evening in the inn, Horace was probably relieved to escape from an embarrassing memory. His vehicle of choice: a raeda. “From there we are snatched twenty-four miles in raedas.” (Note7) The date of 1.5 is 40, or perhaps 37, in either case, a touchy and tricky time, and it is at least fifteen years since Caesar’s references to raedae up north and ten years since Cicero’s time in Cilicia.
At almost the same time that the raeda sped Horace away from the unfortunate inn, Varro, writing in the early to mid-30’s, drew a clear distinction between training horses for civilian or military use. And in this context the raeda served as the type for a civilian vehicle which was specifically contrasted with military vehicles. “And the man who wants to produce horses for the saddle or the raeda does not do the same as the one who is training them for military service, because as those want the horses keen for the camp, so these prefer them to be quiet on the roads.” (Note8) By the mid-30’s then the raeda had been thoroughly tamed and became a regular civilian vehicle, just as the jeep evolved from the military general purpose vehicle into a Grand Cherokee. And subsequent references continue this trend (Note9). By the time of the imaginary Cornelius family of the Ecce Romani series the raeda had been converted into a desirable family vehicle, perfect for a senatorial family making the trip from Baiae to Rome.
The raeda is not the only military vehicle to go civilian. Cicero had noticed that Vedius was traveling with a raeda and an essedum. Both vehicles seem to have been adopted by the Romans from the Northern barbarians and turned to their own use. Like raeda, essedum is not a Latin word, but Gallic. The principal function of the raeda was transport; the essedum or esseda (both genders occur) is a light, two-wheeled military vehicle used as a fighting platform rather like a chariot. Caesar described how the French fight from esseda: “This is the manner of fighting from the esseda. First they ride about on every side and throw weapons and by the very fear of the horses and noise from the wheels they pretty well throw all the ranks into disorder and, when they have snaked their way among the squadrons of cavalry, they leap down from their esseda and fight on foot.” (Note10) Cavalry and esseda work together: “Those forces having advanced to the river with their cavalry and their esseda began to cut off our troops from higher ground and joined battle.” (Note11) In subsequent references the essedum retains some of its martial associations. (Note12) Suetonius uses the essedum to spotlight aspects of imperial character. So Caligula, for example, tested senatorial stamina, or devotion, by compelling senators, in their togas, to run alongside his essedum and keep up (Note13). Among other efforts to restrain excess Claudius in his censorship had an especially elaborate silver essedum which was for sale broken up into bits in public (Note14). The interesting point for us is that the essedum and raeda go together in memorable convoys, retaining some of the flair of their foreign and military origin. Vedius and his baboon will have made a striking sight. But Cicero knew of a yet more impressive convoy.
